Fast X Almost Made Jason Momoa And Alan Ritchson's New Characters Brothers
This article contains major spoilers for "Fast X," so proceed with caution.
When a franchise has been around for over 20 years, comprised of 11 total movies (don't forget about "Hobbs & Shaw," folks!), it can be hard to keep the momentum going. But in the case of "The Fast Saga," the franchise was given new life right in the middle, thanks to the ludicrous, high-octane action of "Fast Five." Thankfully, the latest installment in the film series, "Fast X," features a direct callback to the film that basically served as a soft reboot, taking the small-time crime and street racing that began in 2001 and turning it into a global, heist-driven franchise with outlandish and entertaining set pieces.
"Fast Five" comes back into play in "Fast X" courtesy of the film's villain, Dante, played masterfully by an unhinged and diabolical Jason Momoa. The new antagonist has an axe to grind, having been involved with the climactic heist from "Fast Five," which resulted in the untimely death of his father. Out for vengeance, Dante wants to make Dom Toretto (Vin Diesel) and his entire family suffer for their transgressions. He changes the rules of the game over and over, always heading them off at every turn, including a last minute twist that reveals The Agency's new leader Aimes, played by "Reacher" star Alan Ritchson, has been working with Dante the entire time. It's quite a silly surprise, even if it makes for good fun, but it was almost even more unbelievable in an earlier version of "Fast X."
'They were actually related...'
During the climax of "Fast X," it appears Aimes finally realizes that Dom and his family have been set up by Dante, and The Agency's new leader starts helping our heroes as they try to outwit and outlast Dante. But in the end, it's revealed that Aimes has been on Dante's side since the events of "Fast Five," with a retcon flashback revealing Aimes' presence during that film's vault heist, sparking a partnership that led to this game-changing twist. The reveal comes when Aimes, the latest antagonistic figure who has seemingly become an ally of the family, uses a rocket launcher to blast a plane with Roman, Tej, Han, and Ramsey out of the sky, sending it crashing into a mountainside.
Interestingly enough, Ritchson recently revealed to Entertainment Weekly that the connection between Aimes and Dante was almost even more substantial. The actor pulled back the curtain while talking about how much he knew about the character going into production:
"I don't know if this is divulging too much, but we shot a couple different stories. One was that Jason Momoa's character and Aimes were blood brothers. They were actually related, and one of the reasons why they were unified was because of their genetic link. There is a version in the editing room of that film, but at the end of the day it was decided that the other version which is what's in the film now — we learn at the end of the movie that really surprising twist that there was an alliance between them the whole time making him maybe the bad guy — that's what we're left with. I wasn't really sure which version of that was going to live, but I did know that there was a lot of duplicity in the character and that he was ultimately a bad guy, at least for now. We'll see what the future holds."
'I'm amped to play the bad guy and put the gas to the floor'
By the end of "Fast X," it certainly seems the table is set for Dante and Aimes to continue their villainy into "Fast and Furious 11." Considering the resources at Aimes' disposal and the fact that Dante always seems to be one step ahead of Dom and his crew, the surviving members of the team are going to have their work cut out for them. However, since it seems like Charlize Theron's Cipher is at least temporarily aligning with the good guys, they might have enough resources of their own to at least regroup and figure out their next movie. After all, Gisele (Gal Gadot) shows up in a submarine at the end of "Fast X" after being presumed dead, so they've still got some tricks up their sleeve. Plus, let's not forget that Jason Statham's Deckard Shaw is still in play, having now been targeted by Dante for helping Dom and the rest of the family.
For Ritchson's part, he's ready to get back in action, adding, "There have been a lot of conversations. I'm amped to play the bad guy and put the gas to the floor. Let's see him try and succeed at what he wants to do." Let's hope he really gets to cut loose even more in the next ride.
"Fast X" is in theaters now, but "Fast and Furious 11" is not yet in production.